“Systemic inefficiencies” in Canada’s supply management system have led to billions of litres of milk going to waste since 2012, according to a new study published in the journal Ecological Economics.
It put the total at between 6.8 billion and 10 billion litres, about seven per cent of total production.
The study was one by researchers based in Denmark, Michigan and Halifax’s Dalhousie University.
They put the value at $14.9 billion and said the milk could have fed 4.2 million Canadians, or about 11 per cent of the population.
The surplus milk contributed to “significant” land and water resource waste, and about 8.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Dairy Farmers of Canada questioned the accuracy of the findings.
“The authors of the study acknowledge that much of their conclusions are drawn from ‘estimates’ rather than a robust data set,” said chief executive officer Jacques Lefebvre.
The study’s research team said the supply management managers should charge penalties for over production and increase transparency about milk production, including reports on surplus production and waste.
They said dairy quotas should better fit with market demand and consumer preferences.
Lefebvre said “milk disposal is not a unique issue to Canda, Milk is disposed only as a last resort after exploring all other alternatives. This is done in accordance with regulations and the costs are borne by the dairy farmers,” he wrote in an e-mail to CTV news.
